​In the entertainment world, we can choose which ads we see, actively engage with them or bypass them altogether, which is why the line between paid advertising and content gets blurrier and blurrier.

Millennials have little patience with obvious advertising, and sometimes even less patience for sneakily paid content. They want brands to be transparent and not talk down to them, which is why obviously branded content is becoming more popular and is slowly looking more like the paid ads of the past.

This week, Adweek analyzed branded projects reaching these viewers and fighting for ad dollars alongside traditional advertisers.

At the top of its list is the recent “LEGO Movie,” which doesn’t shy away from its retail counterpart but embraces the relationship. The movie was entertaining in its own right, with a clear sponsor that stayed in the background throughout the film. Hulu’s “Farmed and Dangerous,” a Chipotle-sponsored series, takes a slightly strained sponsor relationship for a solid pitch about the food lobbying industry to somewhat less effect.

Red Bull, a media and sports sponsor powerhouse, has teamed with GoPro for countless events, but its Stratos skydive from space with Felix Baumgartner rates as its best yet. And this month, Beyonce’s music video for “Drunk in Love” got a parody from Funny or Die, “Dunkin’ Love” (below). The song’s lyrics are changed to those about love for donuts

Read more at Adweek.

Brief Take: Branded projects are only as strong as both partners in their own right. If brands can avoid righteous messages for purely entertaining content, they have a chance at winning with Millennial audiences as well as their advertisers.

[Image courtesy of Hulu]

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